Rahul Taylor, 29, of 35 Treadwill Ave., Westport, was charged with three counts of first-degree threatening, reckless endangerment, breach of peace, and carrying a firearm under the influence of alcohol or drugs

FAIRFIELD -- A Westport man has been arrested for allegedly displaying a loaded handgun in plain view while intoxicated in a local diner.

Rahul Taylor, 29, of 35 Treadwell Ave., was arrested and charged early Friday morning with three counts of threatening in the first degree, reckless endangerment, breach of peace and carrying a firearm under the influence of alcohol.

Leading up to the arrest, Fairfield Police responded to a call Friday that a man had a gun in open view in the Athena Diner at 3350 Post Road in the Southport section.

According to the police report, Taylor was approached by officers while sitting in a booth with a friend. When questioned if he had a gun in his possession, he initially responded that he did not. After admitting that he had been drinking, he again denied having a firearm on his person.

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Police then asked Taylor to get up from the table. As he stood up and reached to his right side, police observed a gun in his waistband, which they immediately removed and subsequently identified as a loaded .45 caliber Inter Arms pistol.

Further investigation revealed Taylor had a valid pistol permit for the weapon, which was seized for review by the State of Connecticut Firearms Review Board. Police are also actively searching for two shotguns registered to Taylor.

According to Lt. James Perez of Fairfield Police, Taylor had been out Thursday night at a local bar with three friends. He and one other proceeded to go the Athena Diner after an argument broke out among the group.

While in the diner, the argument between Taylor and his friend continued, leading Taylor to take out a loaded handgun, placing it on the table and saying he was not a man to be messed with, according to Perez. His friend texted to the other two from the original group who then came to the diner.

At this point, Taylor repeated the motion of placing the gun on the table and saying that he was not someone to be messed with. One of Taylor's friends then called Fairfield Police, leading to his arrest.

After being taken into custody, Taylor had his $50,000 bail processed and his court date scheduled for April 9.

"If you are going to be a permit holder, it is an awesome responsibility you must take seriously," said Perez, noting the danger of using a permitted firearm as a "threat mechanism." Referring to the charges against Taylor, he said, "The state is not giving you permission to carry a gun under the influence of drugs or alcohol."

Perez went on to note what he saw as an exponential increase in firearm permit applicants in Fairfield in the last year. According to Perez:

-- the first quarter of 2011 saw 31 applicants

-- the first quarter of 2012 saw 23 applicants

-- the first quarter of 2013 has had 160 applicants.

Perez said that this is due to two main factors in his estimation: continuing gun debate, driving some to apply for permits before it would potentially get more difficult to do so, and what Perez consistently referred to as the effects of a "post-Sandy Hook world," in which more people want firearms to protect themselves.